Prince Of Darkness Review

MPAA Rating: R
Released: 1987

After the commercial failure of his brilliant Big Trouble in Little China, director John Carpenter returned to the drawing board and came up with Prince of Darkness, a unique horror film that, much like his previous effort, is either loved by those who "get it" or hated by those who entered the movie with false expectations. Why would opinions be so sharply divided? Read on to find out.

John Carpenter is responsible for some of the most memorable films in recent history, such as Halloween, The Thing and Escape from New York, just to name a couple. Due to his willingness to branch out and try new things rather than stick to a generic formula as so many other directors do, once in a while he hits upon a film that can be both praised as genius and condemned as horrible, depending on the viewer's expectations. Prince of Darkness fits into this category.

The movie presents the following premise: for every being or existence, there exists an opposite. Good versus evil. Black versus white. God versus the anti-god. In ancient times the anti-god was banished into another dimension so that he could not destroy the world, but prior to his banishment the anti-god converted his son, Satan, into liquid form and placed him within a specially sealed vat. Here Satan would lie dormant for untold years, until the time was ripe for his reawakening. Upon rising from his slumber, Satan would then help his father re-enter the world, thereby bringing on the apocalypse.

An ancient order of priests called the Brotherhood of Sleep discovered this vat long ago and chose to conceal it and the secrets of its existence so that none could accidentally unleash Satan upon the world. Somehow the vat found its way to Los Angeles, where it has been stored in unknown catacombs for hundreds of years. But the last surviving priest of the Brotherhood has perished, and Satan's essence is slowly awakening from its slumber to carry out its preordained purpose.

Father Loomis (Donald Pleasence) discovers this mysterious glowing vat in the cellar of the inner-city church, but he is unfamiliar with its contents, purpose or the Brotherhood's secrets. Loomis appeals to his friend Howard Birack (Victor Wong), a professor at a nearby college, to assist him in uncovering the secrets of the container and translate some ancient religious texts also stored in the basement. The professor, as well as a selection of his students, agrees to aid him and set up shop in the old church.

But frightening things begin to occur when the team starts their investigation. Everyone begins having a disturbing dream of a mysterious figure standing on the stairs of the church, but the figure's words are garbled and unintelligible. Gangs of homeless people surround the church, preventing anyone from leaving. Plagues of bugs begin appearing, blocking off windows and portals. And that's only the beginning…

Prince of Darkness is an ambitious and intelligent horror film that explores religion and science, attempting to blend them together as being mutually compatible rather than exclusionary. The movie relies on building a sense of dread that steadily increases as the film progresses rather than a high body count or graphic violence.

This is the reason why some will love the film while others will hate it. If your style of horror lies purely with bloodshed and high body counts, there's a good chance Prince of Darkness will be lacking. On the other hand, if you enjoy smart horror flicks that disturb rather than gross out and rely on story rather than non-stop kills, this is the movie for you.

Donald Pleasence, who worked with Carpenter in two past projects (Halloween and Escape from New York), was a fine choice for Father Loomis. I've always enjoyed his work as he was almost always steady and reliable, and could bring a certain dignity to even the worst movie. Victor Wong and Dennis Dun, who also worked with Carpenter in Big Trouble in Little China, put forth strong performances in this film too. The rest of the cast performed well for the most part, though some of the acting came off a little wooden.

Prince of Darkness came very close to biting off more than it could chew by introducing such a deep storyline and impressive layers of details, but it gels together well once you put all the pieces together. This is one of those films that could require more than one viewing to fully grasp its depth if you're not paying close attention the first time.

In summary, Prince of Darkness intelligently tackles the tough topics of demonic possession, religion and science in a manner that emphasizes psychological horror over visceral shocks. If this sounds like the type of horror flick that you would enjoy, this one is definitely worth a viewing.

Movie rating: 8 stars

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